Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-01-14
DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES
SUNDAY SERMON.
Subject; "These Flying Years"
ect: These Flying Years"
TEXT: "How Old Art Thou9n-Genesis

TEXT: "HoU Old Art Thougn-Genesis
Xvii. 8.
The Egyptian capital was the focus OF
the worlds wealth. In ships and barges
there had been brought from India, cinna-
mon and frankincense and ivory and dia-
monds From the north, marble and iron.
From Syria, silks and purples. From Greece,
the finest horses in the world and the most
brilliant chariots. From all parts of the
earth, everything that could please the eye,
or charm the ear or crafty the taste. There
were temples of flaming red sandstone entered
by gateways guarded by pillars bewildering
with hierogbyphics, and wound around by
braEen serpents, and adorned with winged
creatures, their eyes and beaks and pinions
glittering with precious stones There were
marble pillars blooming into white flower
beds. There were stone pillars, the top burst
ing into the shape Of the lotos in full bloom.
Along the avenues lined with sphinx and
fame and obelisk Princes rode III gorgeous
palankine, or were drawn in vehicles by snow
white horses golden bitted, six abreast, dash
ing at full run. There were fountains from
stone-wreathed vases climbing the ladders
of the sun. A bolt would shove and door
of brass would open like a flash Of the sun.
There were the odors Of gardens all around
about the palaces-odors climbing the
terraces, or dripping from the ar
bors, or burning their incense in the
Egyptian noon. The floors of mosaic
were written all over with the glories of
! Pharaoh, written i'll letters of porphyry and
beryl and flame. There were ornaments
twisted out Of the wood of tamarisk en-
bossed with silver breaking into foam. There
were footstools made out of a single precious
stone. There were chairs spotted with the
| sleek hide of leopards. There were beds
fashioned out of crouched lion in bronze.
There were sofas footed with the claws of
wild beasts and armed with the beak of
birds. As on some summer day you stand
on the level of the sea beach, and for miles in
this direction and miles in that direction
you see the foam of the breakers driven
| Shoreward. so it seemed as if the sea of
the worlds pomp and wealth in that
! Egyptian capital were flung up in white
| breakers of temple and mausoleum and obe-
llsk 1t was to that splendid city, and to the
! hnest building in that city, the palace of
! Pharaoh, that old Jacob, the shepherd far
mer, came to find his son, Joseph, who had
become Prime Minister and was living in one
of the royal apartments. There Pharaoh and
Jacob met Dignity and rusticity. The
gracefulness of the palace and the plain man
ners of the field. And Iharaoh the King, to
put the old countryman at ease, and noticing
| how white his beard was, and how feeble his
limbs, looks familiarly in the face of the
aged, shepherd farmer and says; "How old
art thou?"
Night before last, the gate of eternity
opened to let in amid the throng of departed
centuries the soul of the dying year. Under
the twelfth stroke of the brazen hammer of
the city clock the old patriarch fell dead
hat fortunate thing it is that we have
this milestone on the road of life showing
| how far we are getting on toward the end of
tie journey, and this morning it is appro-
pirate that look into your faces as Pharaoh
looked into the face of Jacob, and ask you
the same question: "How old art thou2n
People who are truthful about everything
else will lie about their agesl So Twill put
no one of you under temptation. 1 want
this morning to apply higher test
than the ordinary test. There is a
| right way and wrong way of measuring a
door, measuring wall, measuring an arch,
measuring q tower, and there is right way
and there is a wrong wayof measuring our
earthly existence Therefore with this higher
meaning approach you to-day, and with all
the solemnity involved in the question l ask
you: "How old art thou" A great many
people, l notice. measure their existence by
worldly qualification. When Lord Dundas
was wished happy New Year, he replied:
| II hope it will be great deal happier than
the old year, for | did not have one happy
moment in all the twelve monthsn But that
has not been the experience of most
of u.s. The most of us found out that though
this world is n blasted, it is a bright and
beautiful and glorious world. There is no
war between the Gospel and merriment and
festivity and innocent hilarity. ! really
think we do not thank God enough for
worldly pleasures Why do not yon go back
further in recounting your mercies2 Why
do not you go clear back to the time when
you lay an infant in your mothers arms,
looking up into the heaven of her smile!
Why do not you go back to the time when
you filled the house with uproar of
boisterous merriment-to the time when
with shout you pitched the ball on
the playground, to the time, the cold,
severe, winter night when, muffled
up to the chin, on the skates you shot out
over the resounding ice of the pond We're
| you ever q boy Were you ever q girl [?
Have you thanked God for early blessings
JOY joy Joy From those times to this,
oh how many blessings have breathed up to
us from the flowers and shone down to US
from the stars, and shouted to US with the
voice of soaring bird, and tumbling cascade,
aud booming sea, and thunders with bayonets
of fire charging down the mountain side.
Joy Joy joy But while all this is true
how unwise that man who measures his life
by worldly qualification. Life is not
foam of an ale pitcher, it is not the dregs of
a wine cup. 1t is not to be a scene of intoxi-
cation and registering. | will tell you what
life is. Life is the first step on a ladder that
mounts into the skies, or the first step on a
road that plunges into horrible abyss. 1t
is the keyiug up of harp or it is the forging
of a chain. Standing here to-day in the first
Sabbath in the new year, mansions on one
side and dungeons on the other, songs on one
side and groans on the other, Heaven on one
side and hell on the other, put to you the
tremendous question Of my text: "How old
art thoup Toward what destiny art thon
tendings How soon will you reach it9
But | notice a great many other people
measure their earthly existence by their sor-
rows and their misfortunes. Through the
life of many of you the plow has gone
deep turned up terrific furfow. How you
have been lied about and maltreated, and
slapped of impertinence and pounded of
misfortune In the brightest life there are
shadows. In the smoothest road there are
thorns. Upon tho most beautiful brood the
hawk pounces. John Milton. while he was
losing his eyesight heard that Salmatos was
glad of it, Pope, applauded for his poetry
all tie world over, was so annoyed at his
STOPPING shoulders that in order to avoid
the eyes of the public, he had tunnel dug
through which he walkel day by day from
garden to grotto and from grotto to garden
Sheridan, while his play was being enacted
in Drury Lane Theatre, heard that his
enemy, Cumberland was growing at it in
the stage box. Bishop Cooper's lexicon
manuscript, the result Of lifetime's toll, is
| by termagant wife thrown into the fire.
Canno, the Spanish artist, was disgusted
with TIE crucifix the priest handed him, be-
cause it was not good specimen OF sculp-
ture. And sometimes through the taste, and
sometimes through learned menace and
sometimes through the persecution of tht
world, and sometimes through physical dis
tresses, aye, in ten thousand ways there com,
annoyances and sorrows and misfortunei
and tragedies. But that is a very un,
wise man, that is very unwist
! woman, who measures life by misfortune and
trial, for where there is one stalk of night
shade there are fifty harebells and mari
Colds; where there is one cloud thunder
charged there are whole hocks of clouds